THE DAYS OF DISCONTENT part 1

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.

I think we live in an age of great discontent, and it has infected even Christians. The book of Ecclesiastes is largely about one man's search for contentment in life "under the sun." He is only able to find fleeting glimpses. Only in the Lord is he able to find any meaning, but yet we still search.

One of the greatest areas of discontentment that I see in our time is in the area of marriage. I have watched marriages crumble. It is not a pretty sight. Why does this happen? Discontentment. Not with our spouses so much ... but with God! You may be saying "wait a minute! How is that discontentment with God." Let's look at the words of Ecclesiastes.

The author of Ecclesiastes tells us to "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life" The command and advice are clear. Our spouse is to be a source of joy for us. Some may say, "Wait a minute, you don't know my wife (or husband)." And you are right, I don't. I may not know all of the circumstances. But this is not about the circumstances, this is about the heart. Too often failure begins when our joy comes to an end. We stop enjoying for a multitude of reasons - time, distance, our crowded lifes, etc. It may not come to a screeching halt, it may just slowly coast to a stop, but it stops. And we let it. Then we wonder what happened. Only once the troubles start do we notice that we lost momentum. The writer of Ecclesiastes says to do this "all the days of our vain lives" It does not have time limits to it. yes, he describes them as vain lives, but that's is looking at life under the sun without God.

He goes on to say "...that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun." Here is where the discontentment with God comes into the picture. When we fail to see that our wife or husband is given to us by the hand of God, we will never cherish them as we ought. When we see our selection of a mate only as some decision that we made, we can later think that we are later entitled to change our minds. That is bad enough. But what is even worse, with that kind of thinking we spit in the face of God's providence and provision. The Lord our God has given us all that we have and has made each choice with great care and for HIS GLORY. Our spouse is our "portion in life." A portion is a good thing. It is an inheritance. If we begin to see our wives and husbands as gifts from the Lord and treasure them as such, we are much less likely to be discontent. But instead some how we think we know better that God, and that we know what will really fill our empty hearts. Then we chase after wind, and wonder why it does nothing for us and we need more.

What are we to do when our spouses are no longer content, but we desire contentment and joy in God's provision. That is a little harde to answer. I am still working on that one. I think the answer has something to do with learning to be content with God Himself, and not just the things He provides. Things change. Circumstances change. New things come along. New providences happen everyday. But our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

On a personal note, I want to say THANK YOU to my wife. Though I don't express it nearly enough. You are a source of joy to me. As I watch others fall apart around us, you remain faithful. Michele, I love you, and I enjoy life with you.

Pastor Sloan